


the routines of highly effective hockey players

by itsahockeyplay



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Nap buddies, sidney's well-documented propensity for routines as a plot device
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-05 10:25:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12792594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsahockeyplay/pseuds/itsahockeyplay
Summary: Jake narrows his eyes, staring between the two of them. Sid can almost see his brain trying to make a connection, justify this with a rational explanation."It's routine!" Geno blurts out, and Sid turns to him with the same surprised expression Jake has."A...routine?" Jake asks, and Sid wants to repeat the question but instead settles for asking it through his eyebrows."Yes," Geno says calmly, managing to look nonchalant even though he's impersonating a burrito. "Is routine, we try for luck."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is 100% ridiculousness and probably 100% ooc and i am 100% not sorry bc the thought of the pens believing sid and geno nap together for luck (rather than entertaining the possibility that maybe, JUST maybe, sid and geno might be a little gay for each other) is hilarious to me.

It starts because of Jake.

They're in the hotel room — Sid's down to his boxers and shirt and Geno, who usually refuses to wear anything, is wearing his sweatpants and long-sleeved shirt because, "You know what people do in hotel bed, Sid? Not gonna let myself sleep in that."

They shouldn't be napping together, probably — they try their best not to, but back-to-back games are shitty, even moreso when you're on the longest road trip imaginable and you've lost more games than you've won, and Sid just sleeps so much better when Geno's there. Geno does, too, but he loves pretending he's doing it all for Sid and gets nothing out of it.

Sid's about to climb into bed, where Geno — who always, always hogs all the sheets even though he only ends up throwing them off his body during the middle of the night — has wrapped himself up, poking Geno's side so he makes space for Sid, when there's a knock on the door.

Sid freezes. Nobody disturbs him during his pre-game nap, because people are so, so conscientious of his routines. Conscientious enough he's thought of messing with them, but he never really does because it would be impolite. And also a lot of work.

Jake's voice floats through the door. "Hey, um, Sid? I know you're getting ready for, uh, your nap and all and it's super important but I just needed to ask you some questions? I tried waiting but, um, I can't sleep because I keep on thinking about this stuff and I really need to sleep."

Sid stares at Geno, who's staring back at him with the same wide eyes.

"Hide," Sid hisses, leaping back onto his feet.

"Where, Sid?" Geno hisses back. "Behind lamp? Maybe jump out window?"

"Uh, Sid?" Jake asks hesitantly. "I'm — I'm sorry, I knew this was stupid and you're probably already asleep and I should never have asked and — "

And Sid's the captain. He can't have one of his teammates thinking stuff like that.  _Accessibility_  is at the top of Sid's list for what makes a good captain — that, and responsibility, ability to adapt, and being a pillar of support. "One second!" he yells out. He looks at Geno, whispering as he waves his hand, "Just — move to the other side or whatever, I'll make sure he doesn't try to come in and that way he can't see you."

Sid has a single and the bed is really, really easy to see from the doorway. There's no way they could explain this away.

Geno rolls over, taking the sheets with him, wrapping himself in them until only his face is visible, which sports a 'You happy?' expression.

"You're ridiculous," Sid says, shaking his head, but he's pretty sure the fondness imbuing every word ruins it.

He opens the door a bit and stands in the gap so Jake can't see behind him, gripping the door in one hand and the door jamb in the other. Thank God Jake's only as tall as him. "Hey, Jake, sorry for the wait," he says, smiling. "What's up?"

"I — I'm really sorry about this," Jake says, biting his lip.

"Don't worry about it, it's no problem," Sid says, shaking his head. "I want you to know that you can come talk to me whenever you need to."  _Just maybe give me a heads up when Geno's lying my bed_ , he doesn't say.

Jake's shoulders slump. "Thanks, Sid, I just — I played really bad yesterday and I know I talked to you about it but I just keep on replaying it in my head. I'm usually so much better about it but I just can't — wait, is that Geno?" Jake stands on his tiptoes, trying to peer into Sid's room.

"No, why would — "

Jake tries to push past him and Sid mourns the time when Jake couldn't even  _look_  at him without becoming a rambling mess. He doesn't let him, of course, because  _Jake's_  not gonna be able to push him off balance, but Jake now has a much better view and —

"Holy shit, it  _is_ ," Jake whispers, moving back just a smidge to stare at Sid's face, eyes wide. "Why is Geno sleeping with you?"

 _Because we're gay for each other,_  is the first thought that pops into his mind, but instead, he elucidates, "Uh."

Jake narrows his eyes, staring between the two of them. Sid can almost see his brain trying to make a connection, justify this with a rational explanation.

"It's routine!" Geno blurts out, and Sid turns to him with the same surprised expression Jake has.

"A...routine?" Jake asks, and Sid wants to repeat the question but instead settles for asking it through his eyebrows.

"Yes," Geno says calmly, managing to look nonchalant even though he's impersonating a burrito. "Is routine, we try for luck."

And Sid can work with that. "Yeah," Sid says, and he lets his face become despondent. "It's, uh." He sighs. "We've been losing a lot and I haven't gotten a lot of points. I've tried doing different things, but this worked once, so." Sid shrugs.

"A...routine?" Jake says, moving a step back.

"Yeah."

Jake doesn't say anything and Sid can hear his own heartbeat in his ears because they aren't  _ready_  to explain to the team, they don't have to, it's their own personal life, it's —

"Okay, that makes sense," Jake says, nodding.

"Yeah," he says, offering a self-deprecating smile. Just Sidney Crosby being weird, as usual. Nothing to see here.

"Well, uh, I'm glad that you're trying new things," Jake says after clearing his throat, "but do you...maybe have any advice for me?"

Sid lets his hand drop from the door, instead reaching out to Jake and grasping him by the shoulder. "The only thing I can really say is this: You're a great player, and I believe in you. You're just going through a bit of a slump and it happens to everyone. Don't doubt yourself." He squeezes a little.

Jake ducks his head, mumbling, "Thanks, Sid," the tips of his ears turning red.

"Hey, it's not hard to state facts," Sid says, waiting until Jake's looking at him again. "You're gonna be fine. Even if you don't do great tonight, you still have a lot of games to think about. Forget what the media's saying. If you believed them," he says, adopting a wry tone, "I've actually been washed out since 10 years ago."

Jake chuckles, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. He's looking at the floor when he says, "I know it's dumb, I should be used to it by now, but — "

"Hey," Sid interrupts him softly. "It isn't dumb. And it's always really, really difficult to just try to block everyone out and play hockey. Trust me, I've been there. But you can do it."

Jake sighs, but when he looks up, his smile is relieved. "Thanks, Sid. Sorry about — " He waves his hand " — interrupting you and your routine, I know it's important, but not as important as the things you do  _right_  before the game, and I just — "

"Don't worry about it," Sid says, shaking his head. "I'm really glad you came to talk to me. Knowing when to ask for help and advice is sometimes the hardest thing for players to do, so it's good that you did."

"Thanks, Sid," Jake says, "and sweet dreams," and he starts slowly ambling down the hall.

Sid shuts the door behind him, making sure it's controlled and not at all panicked even though his heart's beating as if he just pulled a double shift.

"'It's routine,' Geno? Really?" he says, leaning back against the door. He 100% deserves that Emmy because he is a phenomenal actor, thanks.

"You welcome for me being so smart, Sid," Geno says. "I know I think quick and give good response. So nice to see appreciation."

Sid walks toward the bed, tugging at the sheets so Geno unfurls himself. "Thank you, Geno, for thinking so quickly and giving a good response," Sid says when Geno just stares at him, and then Geno lifts up an arm, allowing Sid to fit himself right there.

Sid can feel Geno talk. "Forgot to say you appreciate."

Sid rolls his eyes harder. "I appreciate it," he says in the most sarcastic ton he can muster.

Geno pulls back and grins down at him, eyebrows raised. "You know how you can show — "

"No."

"You not even — "

" _No._ "

"At least let me — "

"No!"

Geno huffs. "Fine. Work hard, do so many nice things for you and you not even let me speak. Ungrateful."

"Yes," Sid says, placing a kiss on the collarbone peaking out of Geno's shirt. "Your life is very hard and I am absolutely horrible."

"Bully. Never listen." Geno brings up a hand and cups Sid cheek, swiping his thumb across it. "You lucky you cute."

Sid smiles softly. "I'm lucky to have you."

And Geno, because he's Geno, melts, pecking Sid on his forehead. "я тебя люблю."

"Love you," Sid says, and then he pokes Geno in the side. "Now  _sleep_."

"If you say," Geno sighs.

Sid snuggles closer and Geno pulls him in tighter.

"I'm the captain," Sid says into Geno's chest. "You have to listen to me."

***

Dumo's the second one they have to thwart.

Sid's trying to find his keycard in his wallet, but the way Geno keeps groping his ass makes it a little difficult.

" _Stop_ ," he says, giggling, pushing a little into the touch. He's taken five shots too many, probably, but it was a great game and he's still so keyed up, ready to go. The alcohol has tempered it, but hopefully Geno will get rid of the buzz completely. Through his dick. "Do you wanna get in or not?"

"Definitely wanna get in," Geno says, his warm breath brushing Sid's ear as he squeezes his ass once more.

" _Geno_ ," Sid says, pushing back against him as if to warn him away, but it's weak because if he  _really_  wanted to push Geno back, he'd be able to without too much difficulty.

" _Sid_ ," Geno says in the same tone, plucking the wallet from Sid's hand and thumbing through it. "Take too long." He pulls the keycard with a flourish and Sid makes a grab at it only for Geno to pull it back. "No, I do. You find way to spend ten hours opening door."

"I would  _not_  — "

"Uh."

Geno pulls himself away from Sid, keycard still in hand, and they both turn to stare at Dumo.

"Uh," Sid and Geno say.

Dumo's cheeks are red and he's swaying a little. He points a finger and moves it between them. "You — you aren't roommates, are you? Don't you have a single, Sid?"

"I do, yeah, but — " He remembers the excuse he'd given Jake. "It's routine. Geno and I — we, um, we slept in the same room the night after a good game and we won the next one, so. Ask Jake, he knows about it."

Dumo squints, looking between the two before slowly nodding. "'K. Makes sense." He grins then, wide and very, very drunk. "Don't forget to use protection."

Sid's laugh is probably more robotic than it should be, but Dumo doesn't seem to notice. Geno rolls his eyes, as per usual, and Dumo walks past them, patting Sid's shoulder as he slurs, "Good game, cap'n."

"You, too, Dumo," Sid says, watching him walk away, and Sid breathes only when Dumo's rounded the corner. "That was...close."

"Da," Geno says, crowding Sid against the door, swiping the card so they hear the  _beep_  and  _click_  of the door unlocking. "But we okay."

Sid turns the handle behind him, pulling Geno in as he stumbles backward. He pushes Geno against the door, clicking it shut. "Think I'm ready to — to show appreciation for your quick thinking."

"Yeah?" Geno says, and Sid kisses him, sloppy and probably far too wet, but neither of them mind.

"Yeah," Sid breathes when he pulls away. He sinks to his knees, unbuckling Geno's belt and pulling his fly down. He waits until Geno's done groaning, " _Sid_ ," done tilting his head back against the door, and is staring down at him before adding, "though mainly, it's for your hockey."

Geno thumbs at Sid's mouth and Sid parts his lips. "Don't care why. Just do it."

"You sounds like a Nike ad," Sid says, lips quirking, the way Geno's thumb's positioned against his mouth making his words a little unintelligible.

Geno rolls his eyes. "Want you to sound like porn ad."

"I'm pretty sure that isn't a thing," Sid says, laughing.

Geno's grip gets a little tighter, pulling open Sid's mouth a bit more, and Sid's breath stutters. "Sidney," Geno says, staring down at him with dark eyes. "Shut up and suck my dick."

Sid tries to rear back, hackles rising because he definitely  _isn't_  in the right mindset to just let Geno get away with saying something like that, but Geno's grip doesn't let him. He's about to protest but Geno pulls out his cock, tugs at it a little, which is enough of a distraction for him to forget why he was about to get indignant.

He isn't fully hard, but Sid's the best at getting him there.

"Open," Geno says.

Sid shivers and opens his mouth, eyes falling shut.

***

The fact that they've been almost caught by two teammates should probably be a very good deterrent, but a) Sid and Geno have been doing this we're-just-friends-really-definitely-not-having-sex charade for a long time, b) hockey players wouldn't know gay if it shoved its dick in their face, and c) Sid's too old to go around  _sneaking_  behind others' backs, like he's a fucking teenager again and trying to come to terms with the fact he really, really didn't like seeing vaginas.

So he hints Geno try to talk him into it, and Geno, as always, doesn't disappoint, and Sid, as always, is really good at being talked into things by Geno.

Geno probably shouldn't know that, but he does. And uses the fact mercilessly. Sid would be lying if he said he minded.

This time, they're leaving Sid's room when Shearsy comes all but skipping down the hall, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, grinning at both of them.

Sid and Geno both tense, getting ready for some questioning, but when Shearsy slows to a stop in front of them, all he says is, "Hope you two had a good nap!"

"Uh," Sid and Geno say.

Shearsy stares at them and laughs a little. "Don't worry, Jake told me already about your guys's routine. I know it's just what you two do. And, hey, it seems to be working, because we're winning!" Shearsy's grin gets wider, which Sid didn't think was possible. "Keep fighting the good fight."

"Jake...Jake told  _everyone_?" Sid asks, standing even more rigidly.

"Well, no, just me, I guess." At Sid's questioning look, he elaborates, "He was just staring at you two a little more than usual during warmup the other day and I asked him why and he told me you two tried a new thing that day, and he wanted to see whether you guys behaved differently." Shearsy shrugs. "So I asked him, y'know, what was different and stuff, and he told me. It makes sense."

Because, yes, they lived in a world where two teammates sleeping together in the same bed due to hockey superstition was much more likely than two men engaging in any type of homosexual relationship.

Sid tries not to laugh at the absurdity of it. "Yeah, for sure."

Shearsy fidgets a little, still smiling, and then says, "Well, I'll be off, then! See you later."

"Bye, Shearsy," Sid says and turns to stare at Geno, who's looking less surprised than he should. "Why aren't you surprised by this?"

Geno shrugs. "You weird. People know you have weird routines. Gonna get around."

"Yeah, but…" Sid trails off. He doesn't know why it's bothering him so much, the nonchalance acceptance that it's  _just a routine_.

"Is good, Sid," Geno says gently, wrapping an arm around Sid's waist and tugging. "Don't have to worry. They too dumb to figure out."

"It isn't that they're too dumb," Sid says, sighing as he let's himself relax a little against Geno. "It's that..it's that it doesn't even register as a possibility."

"Yes. Dumb." When Sid doesn't laugh, Geno drops a kiss to the side of his head. "I'm know. Feels like they don't realize your...your…" He pauses, saying, "You know, word that mean you man who like men, man who like women, woman who like men — "

"Sexuality," Sid says.

Geno hums. "Yes, sexuality. Like your sexuality not possible."

"Yeah, I guess," Sid says, sighing again. "Whatever. I know it's weird to feel weird about it."

"Is okay, I already know you weird, be as weird as you want," Geno says, and his words are teasing but his tone is sincere.

"Thanks, Geno," Sid says, and he means it to come out sarcastic but it comes out just as sincere as Geno.

***

If word's been getting around about Sid's new "routine," it's only a matter of time before Tanger descends upon him. So when Tanger sets down his plate with a loud clatter and shoves himself into the seat across Sid, giving off very obvious "Fuck off," vibes, Sid doesn't look up from his iPad until he's done watching his video.

He nods at Tanger. "Hey."

"What's this about you and Geno  _sleeping together_?" he says, eyes narrowed. He isn't pointing his finger yet, but he will be, soon.

Sid shrugs. He has two choices — either tell Tanger the truth or fuck with him.

It's a really easy choice to make. "Yeah, it's a new routine. It's been working pretty great so far."

"You don't just  _add_  rou _tines_ , Sid, not like this," Tanger says, waving his arms around before pointing a finger at Sid. Sid tries not to grin as Tanger says, "What are you hiding?"

Sid stares at him for a little bit before saying, "I'm not hiding anything, Tanger. Why would you think I was hiding something? It really is just a new routine — it helps both of us, honestly." Sid shrugs. "It might stop working, but it's been working really great so far."

Tanger stares at him still, eyes narrowed. He takes a bite and chews aggressively, watching him the entire time before swallowing. "I feel like you're lying."

Sid rolls his eyes. "If you wanna believe I'm lying, I can't do anything to convince you otherwise. What do you want me to say?" Sid brings his hands up in an 'I surrender' gesture. "You got me. Geno and I are actually in a relationship and have been for the past three years and only now decided that napping together — which is definitely a euphemism for sex — is a great new addition to our lives," he says, letting Tanger know  _exactly_  how dumb the idea is through his tone and his face.

It's true, obviously. Except for the part where 'napping' is used as a euphemism, because both of them actually need the sleep. Needed it when they were younger,  _definitely_  need it now.

Tanger huffs, waving a hand. "You don't need to be  _rude_ , Sidney." Tanger purses his lips before taking another bite, this time chewing thoughtfully. He nods a little. "Okay. I can see how this would make sense to you. I mean, you did refuse to shave your 'mustache'" — and he actually does air-quotes, the asshole — "because you thought it brought you luck, and if you're willing to embarrass yourself that much publicly, napping with Geno really doesn't seem as insane, relatively speaking."

"Fuck you, [Mr. 'I don't use product](https://itsahockeyplay.tumblr.com/post/167439874534/philkessels-how-do-you-keep-your-hair-so),'" Sid says, because he's  _aware_ , okay, he  _knows_ , and he isn't proud but you do what you have to for the game. "You have more hair products than Catherine sitting at home, and most of them you took directly from her before buying replacements for yourself."

Tanger sniffs, running a hand through his — admittedly luscious — locks. "Not all of us have only two extremes, Sid — either getting your hair cropped as short as possible or using so much gel your hair is less like hair and more like a hard, plastic wig.  _Some_  of us actually know how to function like adults."

"Who are these people you're talking about?" Sid asks. "Because I don't see them around and I certainly don't play hockey with any of them."

Tanger rolls his eyes, leaning back into his seat.

Sid catches Geno's eye from across the room. Geno grins at him before tilting his head toward Tanger, eyebrow raised.

Sid shakes his head because he doesn't need to be rescued, but the thought is sweet. Misguided, because Geno coming here would only make things worse and Geno isn't good at dealing with Tanger, but sweet.

"How's Alex?" Sid says, interrupting whatever Tanger was talking about.

As always, it works. Tanger perks up, leaning forward, already bringing out his phone. "Oh, I took these picture…"

As Tanger thumbs through Alex's photos, narrating the long backstory behind each one, Sid can't help but think,  _One day_.

***

Sid expects the road trip to be the only situation they can get away with 'napping is a routine,' but he underestimates exactly how seriously people take his superstitions. He should know better.

He's getting into his car to drive home when he sees Geno walking toward him, stiff, a weird expression on his face.

He stops and waits for Geno to get to him, car door still open. "Geno, what's wrong? I thought you were going home?"

Geno opens his mouth and shuts it. "Olli — gonna give ride to Olli."

"Yeah," Sid prompts when Geno stops.

"Gonna give him ride, but he ask me — 'you not going to Sid's place? He's closer than where I live.' And I don't know what to say, so he stare at me and ask again. So I tell him yes, but I drop him off first and go back to your house."

"Wait." Sid shuts the door, crossing his arms. "Olli asked you whether you were coming to  _my_  place? Right now?"

Geno nods. "Yes. Think — because of routine. So I say, 'Forgot to tell Sid, I be back.'"

Sid huffs out a laugh. "Well." He shakes his head. "If I'd known telling the team napping with you was a routine was all it would take for us to be able to carpool to and from my place, I would've done it months ago."

Geno looks considering. "Think we can tell them we sleep together at night, too, for luck?"

Sid's about to say  _no_ , but he pauses. "Maybe...if we phrase it correctly? Not 'sleep together at night' but, uh, eat dinner together and eat breakfast together?" He shrugs. "That way, if we always show up together and leave together, it'd make sense."

Geno hums consideringly. "Maybe. We talk about this." He grins. "Before we nap."

Sid grins, too. "Okay. See you in a little bit, I guess."

Geno tosses him a wave before turning and going back to his car. Sid slides into the driver's seat and sits there for a moment, hands on the wheel, and shakes his head again before pushing it out of his mind.

He isn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and if this means being able to spend more time with Geno without arousing any suspicion whatsoever, well — that certainly isn't a bad thing.

On his way to his house, he thinks about whether people would even  _comment_  on whether him and Geno started showing up and leaving together. Would they just assume it was a thing Sid had started? Would he even need to defend himself and Geno?

He keys in the code to both his gates and parks before getting out, swinging the keys in his hand. He toes off his shoes inside and heads to the kitchen because he's hungry, Geno probably is too, and talking over food always makes conversation better.

He's done with Geno's sandwich when the man in question walks in.

"Hey," Sid says, and tilts his head toward the sandwich sitting on the countertop, his hands busy with his own. "Made that for you."

Geno's smile is even wider than usual, and Sid will never get tired of seeing it. "Thanks, Sid." He picks up the sandwich in one hand and takes a huge bite before asking, "You think?"

Sid  _is_  tired of seeing Geno talking with his mouth full. "Geno, that's gross. Swallow before speaking." Geno opens his mouth, showcasing the chewed up sandwich, and Sid makes a face, saying, "Stop. You're  _thirty-one_ , not  _eleven_."

Geno swallows, waving the hand with the sandwich before asking, "So, you think? Or no?"

Sid knows he'll never get a verbal acknowledgment, so he has to celebrate whatever small victories he can. "Yeah, I did. Did you?"

"Yes," Geno says, "and I'm think — we not say anything. Only say if they ask. Like with this."

Sid nods, leaning against the counter and taking a bite. Because he's a civilized human being, he waits until he's done chewing and swallowing before saying, "Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking, too. I mean, what're they gonna say?" The only people that would've pressed him are all but gone — Tanger's the only one left, and he isn't hard to fool. Sid tilts his head. "There's Gonch, though. He might say something."

Geno pauses, putting the sandwich down. "He, uh." He scratches his nose, wrinkling it a little. "He already know."

Sid straightens. " _What_?"

Geno sighs. "Yes. Was drunk, he ask me something about you, I think I say something that make him suspicious. Next day, corner me, tell me he know."

"What the hell? When was this?"

Geno's pause sounds even guiltier this time. "Uh, year ago."

"A  _year_? And you didn't  _tell_  me?"

"Didn't know how! I was — didn't want you worry. Not big deal."

Sid takes a deep breath. He can't be too angry with Geno, though, because: "Well, if we're confessing right now — Duper knows. And Flower saw us talking and wouldn't stop bothering us until I told him, too."

" _Two_  people!  _Worse_."

Sid shifts from foot to foot, frowning. "Yeah, but it was just — I knew they weren't gonna say anything and — " He rolls his eyes at Geno's accusing look. "Whatever, we both did the same thing, so we should just both let it go."

"You do with two people, I only do with one. Not same. You do worse."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes," Geno says nodding. "Gonna remind you when you get mad at me next time."

Sid's mouth opens a little in indignation. "You're gonna  _remind_  me?"

"You not only do worse, you first get  _angry_  at me for doing, too," Geno says, and Sid's about to start in on exactly how  _dumb_  that is when Geno grins again, saying, "So easy to get you mad."

Sid glares at him, taking an angry bite of his sandwich. "Doesn't mean you should  _do_  it." He gestures at Geno. "I even made you a sandwich."

"So easy," Geno repeats, his mouth full again because he's disgusting, and Sid finishes his food before washing his plate, sighing only a little when Geno sneaks his plate under Sid's but washing it anyway, because  _Geno_  won't and Sid hates dishes in his sink.

Geno kisses the side of his head, a hand on his lower back. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah," Sid grumbles, elbowing him a little. "Go get ready for bed."

Geno drops another kiss before backing away, saying, "Yes, капитан," with what's probably a shit-eating grin — because does Geno have any  _other_  kind? — but Sid won't give him the satisfaction of looking. "Hurry," he yells from the staircase.

Sid rolls his eyes, putting the plates in the drying rack, refusing to acknowledge the warmth in his chest

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so why didn't geno just like run into the bathroom at the beginning??? bc while writing it i literally didn't even fucking think about that i am.....not smart. so for the sake of plot, let's assume sid and geno are also just as not smart. 
> 
> also i wrote this entire thing bc i wanted an exchange between sid and dumo after sid and geno tell the team about their relationship that went: "...But, how?" "People are gay, Dumo." why dumo??? bc he is Resident Frat Boy
> 
> anyway i'm almost done w part 2 but it got a little Serious so gotta sort that shit out first. thanks for reading, and constructive criticism is welcome/wanted!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok i'm absolutely sick of staring at this so i'm posting it even though i can't figure out WHY i'm dissatisfied with this part. anyway, things get a little more serious in the middle before they continue being ridiculous.

 

Flower calls him a few days after his conversation with Tanger.

“Hey, Flower,” he says, making a face as he puts back the carton of eggs; one of them was cracked. He still misses Flower like a missing limb, but the phantom pain associated with his absence has finally vanished. It doesn’t still take him an entire day to psych himself up for a conversation with Flower anymore, which is always a good thing.

“Hey,” Flower says. “Did you tell Tanger you and Geno were ‘napping’ together because of a  _routine_?”

Sid lets out a snort. “God, did he call you?”

“You did!” Flower says, and Sid can hear the gleeful smile on his face. “Oh, Sid – somebody has to put Tanger in his place, and I’m glad you’ve taken up the mantle.”

“I haven’t taken up the mantle,” Sid says. “It just – it accidentally happened.”

Flower makes an intrigued noise. “Go on.”

Sid sighs, pushing the cart past the dairy before remembering he needs milk and backing up. “So, Geno and I may have decided to do a stupid thing and nap together on a road trip. And it was going fine, because we’ve done it before, but then Jake knocked.”

“No,” Flower gasps.

“Yup. So I open the door, and he sees Geno – because he couldn’t find a place to hide – and asks why Geno’s there. And I don’t wanna say that we’re in a loving, committed relationship – “

Flower ‘awww’s obnoxiously.

“ – shut up. I don’t wanna tell him that, y’know? So Geno’s just like, ‘Oh, it’s a routine.’ And Jake  _believed_  us. So that became the answer anytime anyone caught us leaving or entering a room – y’know, it’s a routine. And word got around.” He pauses. “Wait, you backed me up, right?”

Flower scoffs. “Of course. Told him it makes sense, went into what your rationale might be – it was a good, long conversation, because he still didn’t completely believe you but I made sure he did.”

Sid laughs. “Thanks, Flower.”

“If we don’t work together to fuck with Tanger, who will?”

Sid hums. “And we all know we can’t just leave Tanger unchecked.”

“But I have a question, actually – why didn’t Geno just hide in the bathroom?”

Sid stops in the middle of the aisle. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he mutters, running a hand over his face because how had he not thought of that? How the fuck had he missed that?

“You didn’t even think about it, did you?” Flower says, knowing and smug, and then he laughs loudly. “You’re all stupid. Every last one of you.

“Can’t argue with that,” Sid says, sighing, restarting his mission to find canned olives. He doesn’t say, ‘I miss you,’ or, ‘It isn’t the same without you,’ or, ‘Fuck Vegas,’ because Flower already knows. Sid doesn’t need to say it aloud. “But enough of that – tell me about Vero and the girls.”

“Well, Scarlett’s just learned the word ‘No,’ so that’s been a lot of fun,” Flower says, voice dry.

Sid makes a sympathetic noise. “Oh, man, that must be horrible.”

“Oh, it is,” Flower says. “The other day...”

***

Nobody even bats an eye when they start showing up at practice and leaving the rink together. Sid keeps on waiting for the other shoe to drop, but when it's been three weeks and neither he nor Geno have even pretended they weren't arriving and leaving at the same time, he breathes easier. Seems like they're going to get away with it after all.

He's walking down the hall when he hears Dumo say, "Yeah, they're just like — always together, I guess. They started doing their pre-game naps together because Sid thought it'd be good luck, and, y'know — when Sid starts thinking something's good luck, he's gonna keep doing it."

"So, they just...nap together?" It's Sheahan's voice, and Sid pauses, heart beating quickly, tilting his head so he can hear better because Sheahan sounds a lot more skeptical than Sid likes.

"Yeah." And that's Rust. "They're just...really dedicated to the game."

"...I mean, I knew 71 and 87 were  _close_ , but." Sheahan lets out a loud breath. "Whatever, it doesn't really matter."

"I just can't imagine spending  _that much time_  with a teammate, y'know? No offense, you're a great bunch of guys, but  _always_? I'd snap. I'm super impressed they haven't, like, killed each other," Rust says.

"I'm telling you, it's because they both love hockey so much they overlook everything else," Jake says.

"Aw, what, you wanna be like Sid and Geno when you grow up, Guentz?" Dumo chirps.

"Fuck  _off_ , that's — "

And Sid's lost interest in the conversation. He starts walking again, processing what he's just heard.

'Dedicated to the game'? Really? Only years of controlling his reactions allows him to bury the laughter.

He tugs his bag further up his shoulder and keeps walking only to find Geno waiting for him outside the locker room.

"Look everywhere for you, Sid," Geno says, exasperated, pocketing his phone. "Let's go."

"You won't believe the conversation I just overheard," Sid says, raising his eyebrows.

Geno regards him, head tilted, and when Sid doesn't say anything, he makes an impatient noise.

"Rust, Jake, and Dumo were just talking to Sheahan about how  _close_  we were, and how we napped together, and how much we sacrificed because of our  _dedication to the game_."

"You serious?"

Sid nods, and he can't help it — he starts laughing, leaning into Geno. "They, uh." He tries to control the laughter. "Jake was extremely impressed by — " He breathes in. "By how much we — loved hockey." By the end, he's laughing just as hard as he was.  

Geno's shaking next to him, too, putting a hand on Sid's shoulder as he laughs. “They so stupid,” he says.

They're still laughing when Matt walks out of the locker room, nodding at the both of them as they spring apart.

"Uh, Matt, hey," Sid says, recovering first, because they weren’t doing anything  _wrong_ , they should stop acting guilty.

"Hey," he says.

"We were just, uh — "

"It's cool," Matt says, shrugging. "I figured this was happening, I won't tell anyone."

"I — what? What was happening?"

"Nothing happening," Geno says at the same time, frowning at Matt.

Matt regards the both of them with his most unimpressed look, which, since it's Matt, is saying a lot. "Do you really expect me to believe you two are napping together and pretty much living in each other's houses because of a routine?" Matt shakes his head. "That routine has a name — it's called dating."

"It's not — we're — I don't — " Sid splutters, and Geno isn't any better.

"Hey," Matt says, raising his hands up. "Like I said, I'm not gonna tell. And I'm happy for you guys — you have your reasons for not telling the team, and I'm gonna respect that." He pauses and grins a little. "I think they're all dumbasses for buying it, but I'm not gonna say anything. It'll make it even funnier when —  _if_ , I guess — you guys tell the truth."

"Well," Sid says after a moment, clearing his throat. "Thanks."

"No problem," Matt says, and he shoulders his bag before walking away.

"Should've known goalie won't believe," Geno says, looking at his receding back.

"Yeah," Sid says faintly, doing the same, still trying to come to terms with what just happened.

***

They're sleeping at Sid's that night — as they usually do, since Sid can cook and has a fully stocked fridge — and Sid can’t fall asleep. He knows he probably shouldn't try seeing if Geno's up, but still, he turns to where Geno's sleeping, unable to make out his profile in the dark, and whispers, "Hey, are you awake?"

Geno doesn't answer.

"Geno," Sid whispers a little louder. "Hey, Geno, are you actually asleep or just pretending to be asleep?"

Geno still doesn't answer.

Sid sighs, because talking to Matt earlier in the day really unsettled him and he hadn't figured out why until right now. "Geno, it's important and it can't wait until morning, so if you're just faking — "

Geno bites out something that sounds very unflattering in Russian before turning to face Sid. "Go to  _sleep_ , I'm  _sleeping_."

"Hey, you're awake," Sid says, talking a little louder. "Great, I needed to — "

"If you wake me up to talk about  _power play_  again — "

"That was  _one time_ , and I didn't wake you up — you know what? That's not even what I'm talking about right now." Sid pauses. "I think we should tell the team."

"...Tell what? What we tell?" he grumbles.

Sid makes a face, gesturing between the two of them, before remembering Geno can't see him. "About. This. Us."

Geno's quiet, which is never a good sign. "You want...like, about us?"

"Yeah," Sid says, nodding. "I just — I've been thinking about it and I can't stop, and I think it'd — it'd be nice."

Geno sighs. "Let me think."

And Sid wasn't expecting an immediate  _yes_ , but disappointment still sinks through him. "Oh. Okay. Yeah, good plan."

Geno brings up a hand and cups Sid's cheek. "Not say  _no_ , Sid."

"I know, I know," Sid sighs, bringing up his own hand to cover Geno's. "I just — yeah. It's okay." He turns Geno's palm out and kisses it. "Go to sleep, we'll talk about this in the morning."

Geno tangles their hands together and brings them down, swiping his thumb across the back of Sid's hand repetitively. "Okay."

Sid waits, hoping for a little more, but he hears Geno's breathing even out, his thumb stop its movement, and he closes his eyes, trying to fall asleep.

Guess he'll just have to wait until morning.

***

He manages to restrain himself until they're sitting down and eating breakfast before asking, "So did you think about it?"

Geno, who'd been about to take the first bite of his eggs, stares at him, slowly bringing the uneaten bite down. He straightens a little, taking a deep breath as he nods. "Yes, I think."

"And?"

Geno twists his lips. "I'm — don't know."

Sid leans back, biting back his first, second, and third response. "Okay. Why're you confused?"

"Not confused, just — don't know. What it be like if they know? Maybe bring bad change?" He drums his fingers on the table. "Maybe — " He shakes his head. "Don't know words to explain in English."

Sid tamps down on his frustration because it isn't Geno's fault, he knows that. "Do you think you could try?"

Geno makes a face. "Is like — " He waves a hand. "Like, right now, we team of two, yes? We — by ourself, not worry about what others gonna say, others not be nosy. Is — just our thing. Just for us."

Sid bites his lip. "So, it's like — like we're insulated from the world." At Geno's confused look, he elaborates, "Like we're protected from reality."

Geno furrows his brow before nodding slowly. "Yes, kind of." He shrugs. "And I'm don't like change."

Sid stares down at the table. "I don't like change, either, you know that. But this — " He glances up. "I think I'd like this change. I think it would...it would make it more real, for me." He pauses and then adds quietly, "And I want that."

"What, not real for you right now?"

Sid looks up and Geno's frowning. "No, that's not what I mean," he says quickly, because it isn't. "I just — hate that I can't — " He breaks off, sighing and running a hand over his face. "Okay, I thought I thought this through but apparently not."

"What you hate you can't?" Geno prods gently.

Sid swallows, trying to gather his thoughts and verbalize them. He's always been good at that, in general, but never when it comes to what he's feeling and why. "I hate that the guys still joke about you picking up some girl in a bar, or about setting me up with someone they know, or about when I'm gonna find a nice girl and settle down, or how I'm gonna start a family. I want people to know that I'm going to be going home with  _you_ , that you're — that we're a team, like you said. And it's not like we can just tell the whole world, and I don't wanna do that. But with people we know, people we're close to, I just — I want…" He trails off. "Yeah."

"We been doing this for years. Why it bother you now?"

"Because people actually believe that I'm more or less living with you because of a  _routine_ ," Sid says, and that's not hard to pinpoint. It was funny at first, but it just pisses him off now.

Geno lets out an incredulous laugh. "You serious?"

"I never said I had a  _good_  reason," Sid says, "and I don't appreciate — "

"Okay, okay, sorry," Geno says, and he leans forward on his forearms, elbows on the table. "I'm still don't know." He raises a hand when Sid opens his mouth, and Sid shuts it. "Understand what you feeling, I do, but give me time. To think. You think about this a lot more than I do, only fair you give me same time."

And Sid doesn't like it, but: "Okay, that's fair. How much time?"

"How much time you take?"

Sid hesitates. "A...week."

Geno snorts. "Liar."

"Fine, two weeks," Sid says, even though it'd been three. He hadn't  _seriously_  thought about it until two weeks ago, anyway, so it's really the truth.

"Okay," Geno says, nodding. "Give me two weeks."

"Two weeks? That's — "

"Stop whine. You take that much time, I get that much time," Geno says, giving him an unimpressed look.

"Okay, fine," Sid says, sighing, and he picks up his fork, moving his food around his plate.

"Stop pout, you ridiculous."

Sid shoots him a glare. "I'm not pouting."

"Are," Geno says, shoveling a mouthful of eggs into his mouth. He points at him with his fork. "Face gonna get stuck that way."

" _Stop_  talking with your mouth full."

"We gonna be late, Sid, hurry and eat," Geno says, jerking his head toward the clock behind Sid.

Sid turns around, curses, and then starts shoveling boatloads of food into his mouth. One thing he's perfected over the years is the ability to get an ungodly amount of food into his body in a really, really short time.

Geno laughs at him, because he's an asshole.

"I'm going to stab you with my fork."

"No, you won't," Geno says, smirking. "Then I be on IR, you really want that?"

Damn him.

***

He tries being patient, he really does, so he thinks he should definitely get points for that. He doesn't ask any leading questions, doesn't casually ask whether Geno's come any closer to a decision, doesn't even hint at the fact the conversation even happened.

Geno's taken to smirking at him every now and then, when Sid's trying especially hard not to say anything, which is pretty much every time they happen to be alone together. He's sure it shows up on his face because he's great at pretending he has only two states — 'I'm playing hockey' and 'I'm waiting to play hockey' — but Geno knows him far too well to fall for that.

So maybe Sid's trying to read Geno's mind through the force of his stare as they have dinner and Geno is aware, if the way he keeps on smirking down at his plate is an indicator.

"Cook for you and you not going to eat?" he says, looking up and raising an eyebrow.

Sid mechanically shoves a couple of bites into his mouth. "Delicious."

Geno shakes his head, smirk stretching into a smile. "Two weeks, Sid. Only been five days."

"I didn't say anything," Sid says, eyebrows raised. "I know you have nine days left. Which I didn't even mention. You're the one that brought it up."  

"Gonna be like this whole time?"

"Like what?"

Geno answers him with a flat look.

"No, I'm not," he says, sighing. "I know I'm bothering you and getting on your nerves, but this is — it's big, for me. And I'm worried you're going to say no, and I really don't want that."

"Have to let me make choice, Sid," Geno says gently.

"I know, I know I'm being unfair." Sid slumps a little in his chair, staring up at the ceiling, pursing his mouth.

Geno gets up, empty plate in his hand. He runs a hand through Sid's hair and Sid leans into it, resting his head on Geno's hip. He turns his face in and mumbles, "I'm worried this is gonna — I don't know. Ruin our relationship, or something." He heaves a breath into Geno's shirt. "I don't want to lose you." Saying it aloud sounds even stupider than in his head and he shuts his eyes.

Geno tugs his hair a little and Sid follows the pressure. Geno's looking down at him, fond. "Not gonna lose," he says. "Okay? Promise. We know we gonna have family when we retire, just — never think about right  _now_. Good to talk."

Sid makes a face. "I never thought I'd want to talk about this right now."

Geno shrugs, hand falling to his side. "Is life."

"Geno the Wise strikes again," Sid says, smiling a little.

Geno huffs a laugh. "I keep trying to tell, I'm most wise," he says, walking toward the kitchen. He raises his voice and continues, "But everyone around too foolish to listen."

Sid shakes his head, though whether it's more at Geno or his own behavior, he doesn't really know. He turns back to his plate and takes a bite, finally actually savoring the food.

They'll be fine.

***

Sid hasn't even stripped out of his gear when Geno looms next to him, squeezing his shoulder and saying lowly, "Come to my place after. Wanna talk," and then walking away.

Sid stares after him, mouth parted, brows furrowed, because there  _had_  to have been a less mysterious, ominous way to say that. Not to mention the fact that Sid still has to talk to the media.

"Gonna catch flies like that, captain," Phil quips walking past him, and Sid shuts his mouth, stripping out of the rest of his gear.

He goes through the rest of his post-game routine and if you ask him what answers he gave to the questions asked by the media, he wouldn't be able to tell you. The entire time, he's thinking about what Geno might have to say, oscillating between believing it's good news or bad news, but he doesn't have enough to settle on one.

He slides into his car, throwing his phone on the passenger seat, and starts toward Geno, a path he knows well enough that he can check out while driving, well enough that his thoughts can continue swirling in his head.

He keeps checking his phone, hoping Geno sends him a message. When he realizes he's drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, he forces himself to stop, but then he's just gripping the steering wheel too tightly. He's overreacting. He really doesn't need to be this nervous.

He parks in Geno's driveway and takes a moment to take a couple of deep breaths. He clambers out, locking the car before realizing he's left his phone inside, so he goes through the entire process again, this time phone present, before finally arriving at Geno's front door. He has a key, but Geno never locks it — something Sid is  _constantly_  reminding him to do — so he pushes it open.

"In kitchen!" Geno yells, and Sid finds himself trying to figure out whether being in the kitchen is a good sign or a bad sign before telling himself to just get the fuck over there.

"Hey," Sid says, and Geno smiles at him, holding out a glass of wine. Sid takes a too-large sip, swirling it around in the glass as he stares at Geno. "So, you gonna tell me what this is about? Or continue being all mysterious?"

"Was thinking we play guessing game — you ask me questions until you guess right."

"You're hilarious," Sid says, rolling his eyes and leaning against the counter.

"Come, let's go to living room," Geno says, grabbing Sid's arm before he can agree. He maneuvers them until they're in front of the couch and pushes a little.

Sid sits, looking up at Geno and following him with his eyes as he sits, fidgeting with his glass. "So?"

Geno licks his lips, takes a deep breath. "I think and...okay," he says, nodding. "We do. Tell team."

Sid stares at him. "I — really?"

"Yes."

Sid scoots a little closer, setting his glass down onto the coffee table. "Are you sure? I know we both just assumed neither of us wanted this, and it's different for you, harder, with — with Russia and I know I've been impatient but I don't want you to rush into anything, especially if — "

"Sid," Geno says, taking his hand, smiling a little. "I say what you want, now you try talk me out of it?"

"I'm not trying to talk you  _out_  of it, I just want to make sure you’re making a decision you won’t regret,” Sid says.

“I’m not regret,” Geno says.

Sid takes a deep breath. He trusts Geno. “Okay.” He nods. “Okay.” He grins, then, finally letting himself feel the joy he’d been suppressing burst through. “When do you wanna tell them?”

“You decide,” Geno says.

“So you can reject all of my suggestions?” Sid asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Never do this!” Geno says. “You lie.”

“Yeah,” Sid says, “I’m the one lying.”

“You decide, you tell everyone,” Geno says, flapping a hand. “I’m just say ‘okay’ or ‘no’.”

“Gonna make me do all the work, huh? As usual.”

“You always do, why I not ask?” Geno says, leaning into Sid, smirking. “You nice,” he adds, nuzzling his neck. “Is easy.”

Sid tugs at him so they can kiss properly, because he  _is_  easy, and then pushes Geno back and straddles him. “I’m nice, huh?” He grinds down, kissing up Geno’s neck. “Guess I’ll have to change that,” he says into Geno’s ear, and Geno shivers, hands finding their way to Sid’s ass.

***

They decide – well, Sid decides and Geno deigns to allow it – to tell everyone after a team dinner because food makes people more compliant and that way, neither of them will be trapped in the situation for too long. Playoffs are almost here, so Sid hopes that’s enough of a distraction that no one will bother dwelling on this for too long.

Sid's just given the waiter his credit card — to the sound of raucous cheers, because  _inside voices_  isn't a concept hockey players are familiar with — when he stands up and clears his throat. He’s thankful they’re in a completely private booth, insulated from everyone else, because he has a niggling suspicion this isn’t going to be a quiet affair.

"Speech!" Reaves yells, toasting Sid with his beer, and the table takes up the chant of, "Speech, speech, speech!"

"No," Sid says as soon as it dies down. There are a few disappointed groans but Sid ignores them. "But I do have an announcement."

"What, you finally met a girl, gonna settle down?" Dumo says, smirking at him.

"Something like that, yeah," Sid says, and it’s like he just muted every single person, each of whom is staring at Sid.

"Wait, are you serious?" Olli says after a moment, eyes wide.

Sid's hands are shaking by his side, his heart beat pulsing in his ears. "Yeah," he says, swallowing, and he feels Geno's hand come up and rest on his back, rub a little, and he takes a deep breath before saying, "Geno and I are in a relationship."

Jake's the first to speak. "...Well, yeah, you two are the two-headed monster, the — "

Sid refrains from rolling his eyes, because fucking  _seriously_? "A romantic relationship. And for obvious reasons, this isn’t something we want to get out, so please be discrete with this information."

"Well, geez," Phil says, blinking at him, then looking at Geno, then back to him. The rest of the table is more or less the same – looking between the two, eyes wide, gob-smacked; expressionless, like Sully, which is  _never_  a good sign; a couple looking surprised but not as surprised as they should be if they hadn’t suspected anything; and, in the case of Matt, smirking at everyone around him.

"...But, how?" Dumo asks.

Sid levels him with a stare, praying for patience. "People are gay, Dumo."

Dumo turns red, sputtering, and Shearsy elbows him in the side, offering Sid a smile. "We're really happy for you guys, really."

"Thanks, Shearsy," Sid says, returning the smile, because Shearsy has actually always secretly been his favorite.

"Yes! Congratulations, Sid and Geno!" Horny says, grinning as wide as he always does, taking it in stride. "How long? You should have dinner with me and Hags – our families! This weekend."

"Yes," Hags says, and he's smiling, too, eyes flicking between the two. "You should."  

"Uh, three years," Sid says after a beat. "And — maybe?" Not what he was expecting, but he’ll take it.

"Three  _years_?" Tanger says, and it's the first thing he's said. The betrayed look he's been shooting Sid becomes even more betrayed. "You didn't tell me!"

"You thought I was napping with Geno because of a  _routine_ , Tanger, it's not my fault you're slow," Sid says.

"You  _lied_  to me! To my face." He takes a breath, as if to rev up for a long rant, but stops. "...Wait, does Flower know?"

"Yeah, he figured it out," Sid says, and goddammit he loves Flower so much.

"That  _bastard_ ," Tanger spits out. "I told him about your " _routine_ " and I should've known his pause wasn't surprise, it was him deciding to fuck with me."

Jake's fork clatters onto his plate and he stares at Sid with a horrified face. "Oh my god. When I came to your hotel room and you were napping it wasn't — you guys weren't — were you guys — "

"Sleeping!" Sid says. "We were just sleeping, seriously. That isn't — we wouldn't — " His face is probably just as red as Jake's.

"This is just as bad as when I found out my parents have sex," Jake whispers after a moment, still staring at Sid as if he's never seen him before.

Sid doesn't know what his face is doing, but it definitely isn't pretty. "Please don't ever say anything like that ever again."

Dumo's staring down at his plate, unblinking, as if he's disassociated, and Sid's legitimately a little worried about him.

"Wait, Geno's dated women, he's not gay," Rust points out in what he probably thinks is a very reasonable tone.

"Bisexual people exist, too, Rust," Sid says after counting slowly to five, ignoring the other reasons a gay man might date a woman because he doesn’t have time to go into that right now.

"How do you  _know_  you're — " Rust continues, but Geno cuts him off.

"Okay, enough question for Sid. Have more, ask me." Then he smiles, all teeth, and tilts his chair back so the front legs are off the ground. He tugs at Sid and Sid sits down. Phil’s the only one that takes him up on the offer. It’s too quiet for anyone else to hear, but Geno ducks his head, smiling wide, before saying, “Yes.”

Phil pats his shoulder. “I’m happy for you, man.”

There's one person who's been conspicuously silent, though, and Sid stares at Sully, who's still eating his steak, calm as you like.

"Uh, do you have anything to say, Sully?" Sid says, ignoring the hissed conversation going on between Shearsy and Dumo.

Sully clears his throat and wipes his mouth with his napkin before taking a sip of wine. "I know," he says calmly.

"You know...what?"

"I know about you and Geno. Have known for about a year and a bit."

Sid gapes at him. "You’ve known for a  _year_? How?"

Sully eyes flick between the two before settling on Sid. "Florida. March."

Sid's face is competing for the record highest temperature recorded on earth and Geno's chair hits the floor with a loud  _click_  while he whispers something in Russian. They  _both_  remember that game, really well.

Especially what happened after the game. When they were sure everyone had left. And had gotten a little too excited and impatient because it had been an amazing game with amazing hockey, and both of them get worked up over good hockey. Oh, Jesus.

"Um," is all Sid can say, and he can't look at Sully any longer – he doesn’t know if he will ever be able to look at him again – so instead he stares to the side. But Tanger's at his side, looking smug and surprised, which is actually much worse, so instead he looks to the other side, where Horny’s grinning at him. Horny’s pretty much always grinning at someone, though.

"Oh ho ho," Tanger says, because he is, in fact, a walking caricature. "Did you two — "

"Don't," Sid and Jake say at the same time, but Sid's tone is resigned and Jake's is pleading.

" —  _bone_? Scandalous!" Tanger finishes. Jake puts his face in his hands and Sid considers putting Tanger's face in his plate.

"Yikes," Reaves says, eyebrows raised. "Never woulda pegged you two for — "

Sully raises a hand, face looking like someone asked him a really stupid question, which is a combination of ‘What the fuck is your problem,’ and ‘Why the fuck are you talking to me’. "We're not discussing this, and we're all going to pretend it didn't happen. That’s what I did. Understood?"

Sid nods vehemently. "Yeah. Never happened. Definitely." He clears his throat. "Anyway, we're gonna go home — "

"And  _bone_?" Tanger looks as if he's actually going to cackle.

Sid stares at him before turning to Geno. "We’ve made a huge mistake," he intones.

"Your fault, I'm just listen to what you say," Geno says immediately.

"Thanks for your support, Geno, it means a lot," Sid says and Geno shrugs.

"Oh my god, you  _knew_?" Olli yells at Schultz, and Schultz runs a hand through his hair, avoiding Sid's eyes when Sid looks over at him.

"Uh, yeah. It — it really wasn't hard to figure out what was going on," he says.

"Me, Schultz, and Hags made a bet," Matt says, twirling his pasta around his fork, and  _Hags_  knew too? Hags shrugs when Sid looks at him. "I said you guys wouldn't come clean until next season,” Matt continues, “but Schultz said it'd happen this season and Hags predicted it would happen this  _month_ , so now we owe him." He raises his eyebrows. "You guys couldn't have waited a few more months?"

"Yeah, we're leaving," Sid says, and he gets up, tugging Geno, ignoring the good-natured heckling, which is annoying but a good sign. He grabs his coat from around the back of his chair, putting it on and turning to look for the waiter that was serving them.

He's walking toward them and Sid meets him halfway, smiling as politely as he can. 

"Oh, here's your — "

Sid takes the bill from him and signs the receipt, picking up his card and writing in a generous tip. "Thanks, everything was amazing," he says, the words rapidly falling off his tongue. “We're just going to head out, but they'll probably stick around a little longer." He’s being rude, probably, but he really doesn’t care right now.

"Uh," the waiter — Mark? — says, then recovers quickly and smiles wide. "Yeah, sure, no problem."

Geno lays a hand in the small of his back, looking down at him with a raised eyebrow. "Ready?"

Sid nods. "Ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok i know tanger would probably never use 'bone' that much (maybe he would??) but i just recently watched the brooklynn 99 scene (w holt and rosa) and i had to include it. and idk if sully sits in on team dinners, but i wanted him there so idc. also i really wanted jake to be absolutely horrified (idk why but in my mind, jake's like. the youngest and he really looks up to sid more like in a father-figure way rather than an older-brother way, which is how the rest of the baby pens look up to him) bc it's hilarious to me. 
> 
> if you're curious why dumo's freaked the fuck out it's bc he's having his own Gay Awakening (bc you can play hockey and STILL be gay?? how???). actually i have cataloged p much all the pens' reactions and why they're reacting that way but didn't wanna (or know how to) include it all in the fic but if y'all wanna know leave me a comment. 
> 
> as always, constructive criticism is cherished and here's [my tumblr](https://itsahockeyplay.tumblr.com/) if y'all wanna discuss (i.e., yell about) the pens' roster and their ridiculousness
> 
> ETA: have now added the pens' reactions as the next chapter


	3. the pens' reactions (meta notes; not actual prose)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i wrote way too fucking much about how the pens might react and thus had to create an entire new fucking chapter

without further ado: 

horny: suspected but didn't wanna commit to saying 'yes, they ARE dating'; hags and him have discussed this at length. he's like 'look sid's weird he totally COULD just be doing this for routine he's done weirder shit. i don't think that's likely BUT you can't rule out the possibility'

hags: knew it from a while back because he's observant and possesses like 5 emotional IQ points, which is 5 more than the average hockey player so he connected the dots. brought it up with horny one day and thus began a very long debate about whether sid and geno were dating or just friends with benefits or something else entirely. 

knuckles: not totally sure about this tbh but like. he's german and germans are just more open-minded about queerness in general (which, btw — i got sucked down a rabbithole reading about germany's LGBTQ+ history it's super interesting would def recommend reading). BUT also he's from a small town in Bavaria and from my understanding bavaria is more conservative so who knows?? basically my stance is this: the more aware/accepting you are about queerness existing, the more you saw this coming. 

phil: totally blindsided because he doesn't spend thinking about this shit, y'know? if he tried to keep up with every weird thing sid was doing, he wouldn't have any space left in his brain to think about hockey. 

reaves: legit thought it was 1) a sid thing and 2) geno went along with it because russians have a different concept of personal space (and, for that matter, aren't afraid to be emotional so like. napping together? not that weird) 

dumo: absolutely Shocked. like. what??? gay is something you can be while being a hockey player??? this shock is due to years of repression and Not Thinking About It. poor dumo.

sheary: surprised because it literally never even registered as a possibility. BUT he got over it p quickly and was like "omg i should be surprised later i need to show that i'm not a homophobe and also dumo is totally fucking this up" 

we all know how jake reacted. he's mainly just weirded out by the fact SID and GENO are in a relationship because they're not — they can't — it's WEIRD okay like he knows they have lives outside of hockey he even participates in certain activities related to their lives outside of hockey but. romance??? SEX??? ummm no 

olli: also 100% surprised because he's been too distracted by schultzy to really pay attention to anything else. and he thought sid and geno were just really good buds. just guys being dudes. he's gonna kick himself for not figuring it out earlier. 

rust: thought sid and geno were just like. really dedicated to the game and wanted to make sure they did whatever they could to help pens hockey. rust is not very Aware. 

tanger: obvs feeling betrayed. angry at flower and sid and also himself for being dumb enough to believe it. he's legit shocked because he never thought sid was into dudes, and it's. a little weird, actually. he's never really known anyone who's gay or queer (and like. theoretically speaking about queer people and then being around a queer person are two different things, and sometimes, the sheer queerness of somebody makes some people just. mildly uncomfortable. not because they're bad people but they just legit don't know how to react) but he's like 'no this is SID and GENO i'm gonna support them 100% 5ever' 'even if they're both jackasses' 

and the rest of the guys i just don't know anything about at all. also i just don't really like cole so i'mma ignore him. 

this isn't to say that they aren't weird about this for a little bit. no matter how well-meaning one might be, people have a lot of innately homophobic thoughts hammered into them from a young age and if you've never had to deal with them, you're not gonna know they exist and you won't be able to get rid of them. so it's a little awkward at first, and some of the guys, though they aren't all 'get outta here you fags', are definitely more uncomfortable, but there are others (i.e., horny, tanger, etc.) who make sure that a) sid and geno don't have to deal with it (like the palpable weirdness just vanishes after a few days and sid and geno are like 'how???' well tanger and horny pull some of the guys acting weirder aside and tanger gives a variant of the shovel talk while horny smiles blindingly and adds his own comments; hags looks pretty in the background; muzz stares them down) and b) aggressively accept and support it (enough so that sid and geno are like 'uh guys. we're like. super thankful you support us but maybe. tone the support down a little?'). sully Does Not Give a Shit. the only thing he does is pull sid and geno aside and be like "i know you've been doing this for a while, and i know it's you two so i don't need to say this, but don't let this affect your game. keep any problems off the ice.") 

basically, most of them are well-meaning but will probably have to be gently (or firmly) informed some of the shit they're doing/thinking is actually homophobic and dumb. it is insane to me how "open minded" people sometimes think the dumbest fucking shit.

sid and geno don't change their behavior either, really. and at first, it's an adjustment — both dealing with others knowing, and just being aware that others are aware. feeling scrutinized. but it's worth it to them, because no one talks about setting either of them up anymore; they don't have to sneak around; they can sleep in the same room without it being a Thing; they can be honest, which can be an exhilarating feeling when you've been lying and hiding for so long. 

and anyway, overall, it's a challenging but ultimately good experience. i also thought the swedes would know just bc sweden is one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world, so they're a little more aware. idk though.

ok that's it from me lmao this is just like. another 1k words oops ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ i could probably write A LOT about a more "realistic" reaction though haha


End file.
